Diseased December
by Selvanic
Summary: Kabuto has somehow come down with a cold, and it's up to Orochimaru to cure him.


_Wow...This took longer than I thought. And who's surprised to see me writing for these guys again, hmm? Haha. Sorry...it's three in the morning and I'm not really thinking clear._

_Anyway~! This story is dedicated to my wonderful friend _Sarah Pixen. _You can find her on DeviantArt as well as Y!Gallery and she has been just...great. She puts up with me so well and she's been the perfect Oro for my Kabu. Merry Christmas, hun. I hope you enjoy this. _

_The standard copyright things apply; characters aren't mine, etc. Also, please review. Even if it's to tell me how awful it is, I'd like to hear it. I can't improve if I don't know what I did wrong. Oh. And it's rated the way it is because...well...there's surprisingly little relationship stuff. Sorry. XD;;_

---

Orochimaru was familiar with disease. He was familiar with being sick. As much as it pained the powerful man to admit, he had been ill with more things than most people even knew existed. However, _he_ had always been the one suffering; he had always been the bedridden one, waiting for his medical team to devise the remedy he needed. Having to to deal with another man's illness...That was something he wasn't familiar with. At least not when the aim was helping the individual recover.

Unfortunately, and for a reason the boy refused to divulge, Kabuto was the ill one this time around. Which meant that simply letting the disease do what it would, uncaring of the repercussions, was no longer an option. It was rather bothersome; he'd taken the younger man as his right-hand man and personal medic because of Kabuto's medial prowess. And the young man's impressive ability to heal himself. So the question of _how_ this boy got sick was still up in the air. Whatever disease this was, it was something Orochimaru made a note of being wary of.

Frowning heavily at the young man in question, Orochimaru crossed one leg over the other, sitting next to Kabuto's bed for a reason he'd now forgotten. He wasn't the _boy's _personal attendant. But then, he didn't much trust the rest of the staff with Kabuto's health; there were too many medics who had seniority who didn't approve of the young man moving up through the ranks so quickly. Well...if they showed a shred of talent, perhaps they'd have had this position sooner.

A quiet and clearly involuntary groan jarred Orochimaru from his train of thought, causing him to bring his attention back to the 'suffering' medic in front of him. He sighed heavily, raking pale fingers through his loose raven hair before he leaned forward and nudged the boy callously. "Are you conscious, Kabuto-kun?"

The oto'nin in question groaned again and blinked bleary obsidian eyes, turning to look at the snake lord with vision that was clearly impaired by more than just the lack of glasses. "Orochimaru-sama..." The younger man tried to look humbled, though on his sickly features it came across more broken than anything else. "What are you doing here?"

Orochimaru ticked under his breath and sat up properly once more, shaking his head shortly. "I'm wondering that myself, to be perfectly honest with you." He huffed and glanced over at the tray of medicine he'd had one of the other medics fetch earlier. "Just what of this are you taking?"

Kabuto rolled over with a near painful amount of visible effort and looked at the tray, narrowing his tired eyes and frowning slightly. "I...I can't tell. I can't read the labels from here without my glasses."

The San'nin rolled his eyes and picked up each bottle in turn, reading out the label as his dignity went down the drain. He was tending to his right hand man, wasting his day sitting next to a boy who should have been able to heal this himself. Ridiculous.

When the younger man raised a hand and nodded shortly, Orochimaru realized he'd found the pills that Kabuto had been taking. He eyed the bottle critically, humming under his breath as he popped the cap and knocked two of the white tablets into his hand. Without a second thought, he reached out and took Kabuto's chin in his free hand, holding the boy in place as he used his other hand to 'administer' the medication. He felt no pity as the younger man coughed, clearly having some trouble swallowing the pills dry. Well, that's what he got for getting sick.

An awkward moment of silence passed between them for a moment, Kabuto taking gulping breaths and staring at the ceiling as Orochimaru remained in his seat, one foot tapping against the cold stone floor. Neither seemed to know what to do with the other, and neither seemed ready to try. This was the first time their roles had been reversed, and it was clear that neither of them were necessarily happy about the situation.

The snake lord was the first one to speak, clearing his throat and getting to his feet all at once. "Well, Kabuto-kun, seeing as you're awake and you've taken your medication, I can't see any reason for me to waste any more of my time here."

Blinking quietly, it seemed, for a moment, like Kabuto would protest. However, the conflict in the boy's face soon passed, replaced by a more exhausted version of his typically impassive and unreadable expression. "Of course, my lord. I apologize for being such an inconvenience for you."

Was that sarcasm? Really? In this situation? Orochimaru snarled and glared at the bedridden medic warningly. "Watch your mouth, Kabuto-kun. Or would you rather the rest of the medical staff tend to you, hmm?"

The oto'nin flinched and looked away, though the expression remained in place. Satisfied with this result, Orochimaru nodded curtly and turned on his heel, heading towards the door. He had no reason to stay here any longer; he had other things to take care of. Leading one's own shinobi village and country wasn't an easy job.

Unfortunately, no matter what the snake lord attempted to immerse himself in, no matter what task he took upon himself, he found his mind wandering back to the potentially waning health of his personal medic. It was frustrating. And slightly off-putting. Since when did he, the powerful and independent Orochimaru, give a damn about anyone but himself?? Since when did he care about the health of his subordinates? They were all expendable, weren't they? Admittedly, Kabuto had more value than most, but really...

Finishing up the scrolls he was currently signing off on, Orochimaru decided that this sudden bout of concern was entirely Kabuto's fault. The boy must have drugged him or something...There was no reason for him to care this much over whether or not the younger man was recovering from this ridiculous cold – he couldn't think of anything else to call it, really. However, as he pushed the door to Kabuto's room open, venomous accusations on his lips, he found himself stunned into a momentary silence by what he found.

The young oto'nin was pale, the boy's mouse-gray bangs stuck to his forehead, his long fingers curled tightly in the sheets at his sides. The scene was one the snake lord had never anticipated being a witness to; Kabuto had always been healthy, the younger man's body always healing itself before things could get this bad.

Orochimaru didn't know what to do, where to start. He ticked irritably under his breath and moved to Kabuto's bedside once more, leaning over to brush the boy's hair aside. He was startled by how warm the younger man was, locking his jaw as he frowned heavily. Before he could say anything, though, glazed obsidian eyes looked up at him and Kabuto seemed to fight to regain some kind of composure.

"O-Orochimaru-sama...I didn't hear you come in." The boy's voice was surprisingly strong and steady, for all that it looked like the younger man was suffering. It seemed the oto'nin was insistent on keeping up appearances, if only for the sake of his waning dignity.

Orochimaru snorted and shook his head, turning to grab the pitcher of water off of the boy's nightstand table. "Of course you didn't hear me. I'd be surprised if you heard the base collapsing around your ears." He shook his head and poured out a glass of cold water, passing it carefully to one of the medic's trembling hands.

Kabuto forced himself to sit up, quickly wrapping his other hand around the glass and holding it tightly. A moment of silence passed between them as the boy sipped at the chilled liquid, his breathing slowly calming down to something more reasonable. The snake lord had taken up his seat by the other's bedside once more, arms crossed and one leg over the other. He took the half empty glass from Kabuto as the medic finished, setting it aside by the tray of medication. He watched as the younger man fussed with the covers, as those usually sure hands seemed to wander aimlessly, fingers trembling as they picked at the blankets. The San'nin couldn't take it.

"Kabuto-kun, I demand to know how this has happened to you." For all that he was issuing an order, Orochimaru kept his voice low, not one to yell at the boy unless the situation called for such measures. Before the other could protest, he added sharply, "And I want an answer this time. Not just what your damned dignity makes you say."

The younger man stared at the snake lord for a moment, blinking quietly and licking his lips absently. Finally, after an almost painful clearing of his throat, Kabuto managed to get some semblance of words out. "I...I honestly don't know, my lord. I remember contracting something of a cold when the snow first began to fall, but I quickly started work on a remedy. If only to have on hand should _you_ catch it. But...I didn't get over it...And it's gotten progressively worse since." He shook his head slightly and coughed into his hand, shoulders tensing at the pain that seemed to result. "I don't understand what it could be..."

Orochimaru huffed irritably and tapped his fingers against his upper arm, trying to piece something together. Kabuto didn't get sick; not for more than twenty-four hours. The boy's healing capabilities and resulting boosted immune system generally saw to that. Which mean, for the younger man to still be in this condition and worsening...something must have effected that system. Something was tampering with the flow of Kabuto's medical chakra. And without that present, the boy's natural immune system likely wasn't strong enough to fend off whatever virus this was.

"Where's this remedy you were working on, Kabuto-kun?" The snake lord narrowed his eyes critically, getting to his feet as he asked.

Frowning slightly, the boy gestured to the small tray of pill bottles. "That's the one there. The one I asked you to give me earlier."

Orochimaru snatched up the bottle, popping the cap and knocking a pill into his hand. He hadn't checked them earlier; he hadn't thought he would need to. He hadn't thought someone might be poisoning his medic. Holding the small tablet between his fingers, the snake lord turned it over several times, eying it, analyzing it, trying to see if there was any immediate signs of what was wrong with it...

"Did you complete these before you took to your bed?" he demanded coldly, closing his hand around the pill for further analysis.

Kabuto furrowed his brow in thought, staring at the blankets that covered his lap before slowly shaking his head. "Not quite," he murmured, "Satomi-chan and I were working on it together. There were only a few things that needed to be done before they were ready, and I'd left specific instructions with her..." He looked up at his master and swallowed thickly. "You don't think she's tainted them, do you? I had Kaito-san supervise her when I took ill. He wouldn't...He wouldn't have let her try anything."

"Did Kaito-san know what she was supposed to be doing?" Orochimaru arched an eyebrow, already making note to confront both of these individuals.

"He...He should have. I left the instructions on my desk." It was clear that the younger man didn't like the idea of an inside job, though the San'nin knew for a fact that the boy didn't like many people. If anything, he had a grudging respect for some of the older medics and a healthy distaste for the rest of them.

Shaking his head, Orochimaru turned on his heel and gestured over his shoulder for Kabuto to relax. "I'll look into it, Kabuto-kun. You need to rest. If my assumptions are correct, you're going to be having some troubles recovering properly."

A small sound of understanding met Orochimaru's words, accompanied shortly thereafter by the sound of the bed springs creaking as Kabuto laid down once more. At least now the snake lord didn't have to worry as much about what was going on...At least in theory.

He made his way quickly down the halls in the direction of the labs, fully intending to analyze the medicine before making any definite accusations. Jumping to unnecessary conclusions that could very well mean treason wasn't going to get him anywhere. And he hardly needed the rest of Otogakure's main base alerted to just what was happening; rumors here spread far too quickly when they pertained to someone of the status that Kabuto had.

Though he didn't spend much time in the labs anymore, Orochimaru knew precisely what he was doing as he arrived. He shooed the rest of the staff out with a single look, closing and locking the doors behind himself as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves. He just needed a chemical analysis, a breakdown of the components of the pill. He removed the tablet in question from his pocket and proceeded to crush it into one of the many sterile plastic trays available, making the powder as fine as possible before he began to divide what he had into equal samples. This was going to be a lengthy process, but if he did it right – which there was little doubt he would – the snake lord would get the results he was looking for.

After hours of intensive testing, Orochimaru managed to identify every chemical component in the pill he'd brought with him. To his frustration, however, there was nothing in it; at least nothing that could chemically hinder Kabuto's medical chakra production. Which meant...it had to be the virus. Someone had created a bacteria that not only had the effects of the common cold – a perfect disguise, really – but also actively ceased the flow of the young oto'nin's medical chakra. And all without ever making said blockage noticeable.

But who? There was no shortage of people who would actively try to attack both him and Kabuto, for personal _and_ political reasons. Admittedly, there were only a few capable of manufacturing a custom virus, but when he took into account the fact that whoever was behind it could have _commissioned _someone...Things got even more complicated.

Orochimaru swore under his breath and threw a vial against the wall, watching the glass shatter callously. Damn it. This...There was no way to track down who was behind this attack on Kabuto's health. There was no way to trace the virus back to whoever had made it, and even then...there was no way of knowing who had distributed it. Or _how_. There was only one thing left for him to do; he had to find a way to eliminate the virus himself. He had to eradicate it from the younger man's body. And not being of the medical practice himself – having not even looked into the field – he couldn't imagine it was going to go over very well.

Not for the first time, as the snake lord was making his way back to Kabuto's room, he wondered _why _he even cared. The younger man was just a medic, albeit a talented one, and was just as expendable as the rest of his staff. The longer he thought on that, however, the more Orochimaru realized that such wasn't the case. Kabuto _wasn't _just another interchangeable oto'nin. The boy _wasn't_ just another pawn in his elaborate game. The younger man...was something else altogether. At some point – no doubt because of the other's impressive medical and deception abilities – Orochimaru had come to not only respect Kabuto, but to expect him to be there. Always. It was a disturbing realization, and the snake lord wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with it.

Shaking his head, Orochimaru opted to deal with these issues later; he didn't have time to worry about why he was doing what he was doing now. He would have all the time he needed once he was sure Kabuto's recovery was well on its way. With that put aside, he pushed the younger man's door open, kicking it shut almost violently before he crossed the room in long strides.

Kabuto was clearly not expecting the sudden intrusion, sitting up as quickly as he could, struggling only momentarily. He opened his mouth to say something, but the snake lord prevented questions by shoving the younger man back down, laying his palm on the boy's chest and pinning the oto'nin down.

"Don't move, Kabuto-kun. This is going to hurt." Orochimaru moved onto the bed, easily manipulating his position to straddle the younger man's lap. He ignored how flustered the other seemed, ignored that he hadn't explained what he was doing. Hell..._he_ wasn't even sure what he was doing. This was all just instinct.

"O-Orochimaru-sama, I...I don't understand..." Kabuto shook his head and swallowed hard, curling his hands in the sheets as he clearly resisted the urge to fight against the snake lord. Obviously, the younger man wasn't used to being trapped so easily.

The man in question scoffed and made short work of the younger man's shirt, pulling it up and over Kabuto's head and tossing it aside. He needed access to the other's body; he needed to be able to access the medic's chakra system directly. It had been a while since he'd even _attempted _something like this, but it was really his only option at this point; he doubted Kabuto could do it himself.

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Kabuto flushed and swallowed hard. The young man evidently knew better than to question things when he wasn't given an answer the first time, but the look on his face continued to ask a myriad of wordless questions. He wanted answers...and yet Orochimaru wasn't about to give them. The man was caught up in his own frustrated focus.

The San'nin hadn't done a full body chakra flush in years; and he'd only done it then to see if he could and how it would effect the target. He'd found that, the faster he forced the flush, the more damage it did. The chakra system was wound so tightly with the natural vital system, that if one wasn't careful, it was easy to tear through organs and burst capillaries. And with Kabuto in the condition that the boy was in, any damage like that wouldn't be easily repaired...if it could be repaired at all.

"One question, Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru huffed, glancing up at the younger man's face, "Is the medical chakra system set out any differently than the normal one?"

Kabuto blinked quietly, trying to figure out what Orochimaru was getting at. He answered nevertheless, his voice only slightly shaken. "I-I don't believe it is, sir. There are, umm, different points that the chakra gathers in though...Closer to the organs, I believe."

Orochimaru nodded shortly, mumbling his understanding as he pressed his fingertips in against Kabuto's skin. He wasn't a Hyuuga, and he couldn't see the chakra points directly, but he knew where they were from experience. He had it all memorized. But for the first time, he was starting to question the knowledge he'd held for years. For the first time...it actually mattered if he killed the patient or not.

Turning his eyes up to Kabuto's once more, the San'nin muttered something he hoped would be comforting before he began to force his own chakra into the younger man's body. This was a complicated and undoubtedly painful procedure, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had to get through this as quickly as he could. However, the choked sound of pain that escaped the usually composed boy's lips caused Orochimaru to pause for a moment. He was sure he'd heard something like this before – he was sure he'd even been the cause more than once – but something about hearing it now...bothered him.

"A-Ah~!! Oro...Orochimaru-sama~!" Kabuto whimpered and shivered, clinging to the sheets as the snake lord forced more of his chakra into the boy's body. A cold sweat had broken out across the oto'nin's forehead, his mouth pulled into a tight line to prevent more pained cries from escaping him. Even now, the young man showed so much pride...

Orochimaru locked his jaw and frowned heavily, doing his best to stay focused on the task at hand. He couldn't take his time; if he did, he would risk doing permanent damage, he would risk putting too much chakra in the wrong places. He ignored the muted sounds he wrenched from the other pinned beneath him, ignored the sporadic convulsions that would wrack the weakened body. This was something he could do; he was used to 'patients' suffering.

There was no way of knowing how long this procedure carried on, how long the San'nin forced his chakra to flow in place of Kabuto's. The feeling of having the boy's tainted energy recycle through his own body, the feeling of his own chakra leaving – however momentarily – and 'cleaning' Kabuto's, was unnerving and almost painful. Nevertheless, the snake lord saw it through to the end, forcing one last pulse of his own power into a presumably hindered point and waiting for the rest of the process to see itself through.

Orochimaru groaned low in his throat as his body became his own again, as his energy was no longer Kabuto's, and he managed to get himself off of the bed. One glance in the younger man's direction, however, and it became clear that the boy hadn't been able to handle it. Kabuto was out cold, the pain from the ordeal no doubt having taken its toll. Shifting to sit heavily in the chair next to the other's bed, Orochimaru raked a hand through his hair and grumbled under his breath. He'd done all the work, had been doing as much for near _weeks_ now, and Kabuto got to nap. Well fine. Such was life, he supposed.

Dragging himself out of the chair, the snake lord brushed himself off and headed towards the door. He wasn't a medical ninja, knew very little about the field itself, but he'd logged enough time in the lab, had performed enough experiments with the human body, to know that what he'd done had a fair chance of succeeding. And if not...Then he may very well have killed his right-hand man.

---

It would be several days before Orochimaru saw Kabuto again. He'd refused to check in on the boy personally after the rather unorthodox procedure, sending, instead, small snakes to do that for him. All of his messengers returned with relatively good news ("He's still breathing", "He's warm", "I saw him move", etc.) and hence provided no reason for the San'nin to visit for himself. He had enough work in front of him as the Otokage to keep him more than occupied.

Nevertheless, when the soft knock he'd come to associate with the medic was heard on his door, Orochimaru didn't hesitate to ask the younger man in. The Kabuto who stepped through the door seemed as healthy as ever, that ever present but well masked smile in place, posture exquisitely held, and glasses cleverly reflecting the dim light resulting from the candles Orochimaru had lit. It was as if the whole ordeal had never happened.

"Can I help you, Kabuto-kun?" The snake lord focused back on the paperwork in front of him, scanning over the lines of a smaller country's latest proposed treaty.

"I just came to thank you, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto bowed in practiced submission, his voice hinting at that subtle defiance the San'nin had come to admire over the years. "I doubt I'd have recovered without you."

Orochimaru snorted and glanced at the young oto'nin from the corner of his eye. "You wouldn't have," he said simply.

The silver haired boy just chuckled softly and offered another bow. "I suppose I should leave you to your work now; no doubt I have plenty of my own to do as well."

Pausing in his reading, Orochimaru sat back and looked at Kabuto in an appraising manner. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, tilting his head from one side to the other before he finally went back to the scrolls on his desk. "I want you to come back before I go to sleep, Kabuto-kun," he ordered flatly, serpentine eyes moving across the lines before him without much interest. "I need to discuss something with you."

Kabuto gave his understanding and slipped out of the room, no doubt headed for the labs the younger man seemed to live in. The thought brought a crooked smile to the San'nin's pale lips; this was why he kept the other so close. Kabuto reminded him very much of himself when he was younger. Intelligent, dedicated, calculating, and, more often than not, ruthless in his experiments, the boy would have made an excellent student. It was intimidating at times...And yet, Orochimaru felt comfortable in trusting Kabuto with more than just the labs and his health.

Time and time again, the younger man had proven his loyalty. Time and time again, Kabuto had saved the snake lord's life. Time and time again, the other had had chances to betray or ruin Orochimaru's plans, only to better them instead. Yes...For all that the child had grown up on deception, the man it had become was loyal to Orochimaru. It was something the San'nin took almost copious amounts of pride in.

When Kabuto returned as requested, Orochimaru had dressed down in his violet robe, seated on his bed and watching the medic critically. So far there were no signs of difficulties, no signs of pain, no signs of relapses... He smiled crookedly and gestured for the boy to come closer, crossing one pale leg over another as he watched his subordinate close the distance between them carefully. He could tell, already, that the other wasn't wary as any other person in this position would be. Had they come to such an understanding? Could Kabuto read him so well? ...Matters for later deliberation.

"Give me your arm, Kabuto-kun." Orochimaru held out his hand, waiting for the oto'nin to comply patiently.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kabuto did as he was told, holding his arm out next to his master's hand. Obsidian eyes met amber ones for a brief moment before a mindful tilt of the head obscured the boy's from view. The quiet gasp, however, was more than enough proof to tell Orochimaru that the medic hadn't been expecting a kunai to be produced.

Sliding the knife blade lazily across the skin he'd been so easily offered, the snake lord smiled wickedly, tightening his grip on Kabuto's arm to prevent any unfortunate flinches that may occur. "I just need to test something. I'm certain you understand."

The younger man gave no response, his lips pressed in a tight line, the only show of discomfort Orochimaru could actively detect. Such an impressive boy; always maintaining that untouchable mask. Even as the blade sliced through the warm flesh, as the first ribbon of blood started to ooze from the wound and across pale fingers, Kabuto didn't so much as gasp. The snake lord kept his eyes fixed on the other's face, watching analytically, judging reactions...So far, he was getting precisely what he wanted.

After a moment, Orochimaru glanced back towards the injury he'd created, noting that it had healed rather quickly and effectively. Not a trace of it was left, save for the sticky carmine substance that was drying slowly in the chilled air of the room. Good; the boy's body was back to standard.

"I assume I can go now, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto's calm, collected, voice broke the snake lord from his quiet musings, dark eyes once again meeting serpentine ones in a near challenging manner.

Chuckling dryly, the San'nin flicked the tip of the blade against the younger man's cheek, taking grim pleasure at the thin line of blood that resulted. "Yes. I'm rather happy with what I've seen." He traced his index finger along the cut he'd just made, absently lapping the blood off afterward, watching as his subordinate stood up properly. Before Kabuto could leave, however, Orochimaru cleared his throat softly, drawing the oto'nin's attention once more.

"Oh, and Kabuto-kun?" His twisted smile widened almost manically as he nodded towards the calendar on his wall. "Merry Christmas."

The medic blinked quietly for a moment, glancing over at the hand painted scroll that served as his master's calendar before sighing softly. "Yes...Merry Christmas to you as well, my lord."


End file.
